Martin Nadelman, president of
Alamance
Community College
, said some are doubtful the bill will be approved. The state’s community college system, he said, has noted the bill was sent to the Senate’s agriculture committee, with speculation that opposition from farmers may kill the legislation.

As things stand, each of the state’s community colleges sets its own smoking policy.

Alamance
Community College
currently limits smoking to four small shelters on its main campus grounds. Nadelman said the shelters are meant to be far enough away from entrances that non-smokers aren’t exposed to smoke.

“They’re isolated from major entries,” he said. When some complained that one shelter — the structures are sometimes referred to as “huts” or “gazebos” — was too close to an entrance, it was moved.

Nadelman said he’s hopeful most think the policy is fair. It was the product of a committee made up of both smokers and non-smokers.

Martin Nadelman, president of AlamanceCommunity College, said some are doubtful the bill will be approved. The state’s community college system, he said, has noted the bill was sent to the Senate’s agriculture committee, with speculation that opposition from farmers may kill the legislation.

As things stand, each of the state’s community colleges sets its own smoking policy.

AlamanceCommunity College currently limits smoking to four small shelters on its main campus grounds. Nadelman said the shelters are meant to be far enough away from entrances that non-smokers aren’t exposed to smoke.

“They’re isolated from major entries,” he said. When some complained that one shelter — the structures are sometimes referred to as “huts” or “gazebos” — was too close to an entrance, it was moved.

Nadelman said he’s hopeful most think the policy is fair. It was the product of a committee made up of both smokers and non-smokers.

Chelsea Greenhaw, president of the college’s Student Government Association, thinks most on campus believe the current policy is reasonable.

Students who smoke “are very thankful for the smoking huts that we have,” she said, and non-smokers seem appreciative that smoking is limited to four isolated areas, despite occasional concerns about second-hand smoke.

Colleen Hilliard, a student at the college, smokes and said the distance between the shelters and college buildings means some smokers don’t go that far when it is cold or raining.

She said putting some receptacles to dispose of cigarettes closer to buildings would prevent those students from putting cigarette butts in trash cans.

“I think that if they ban smoking it’s just going to cause more problems,” she said. “People are going to do it anyway,” either by sneaking a cigarette or by leaving campus and coming back, with the result of being late for class.

Nadelman also has concerns about enforcing a campus-wide smoking ban. More than half of the state’s 58 community colleges already ban smoking, and he has talked to the presidents of some of those colleges. Potential problems include students lighting up in random places on campus or going to the edge of campus to smoke in the street.

Personal concerns aside, Nadelman isn’t taking a position on the bill.

“We’re not going to oppose it or support it,” Nadelman said, reflecting the position taken by the state community college system. “Whatever is done, we will abide by it.”